


First Visit

by OrionRedde, Shyrstyne



Series: Cometverse [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, Gen, Nonbinary Character, POV Second Person, help them, hi my name is orion and this is my friend shyrstyne joining me today, this is a trash au brace your asses, this is our OC their name is Comet and they adopt every lonely kid they get their hands on, we took canon and put it in a blender after taking out the bits we Hate, what the fuck is a timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-02 00:57:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17878025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionRedde/pseuds/OrionRedde, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shyrstyne/pseuds/Shyrstyne
Summary: a kid walks into your bar and you try to be the Responsible Adult. it goes as well as you expect.





	First Visit

   The bell tinkles as the front door of your pub opens.

   “Just a minute!” you call from where you’re crouched behind the bar, fiddling with your mini fridge. You’re probably going to run out of strawberries soon. With a grunt, you haul yourself up on your feet.

   Your eyes _immediately_ hone in on the kid. He’s _short_ and _babyfaced,_ big blue eyes staring up at you in awe. Or maybe at your facial scars? His hair is almost as ridiculous as Cloud’s, but brunet. He looks a little rough around the edges, with dirt smudges on his face, scrapes on his knees, and small tears in his jacket.

   He looks lost.

   Your heart clenches.

   “Hey, kiddo,” you say softly. “What’s up?”

   The kid jumps, brought out of whatever daze he’s in.

   “Oh! Uh,” he scrambles. “Nothing much? Um. Where am I?”

   Oooof, new arrival.

   “You’re in Traverse Town, kiddo,” you tell him.

   “Oh!” The kid (you _really_ should ask his name) gasps, looking around and out of the window. “Is this another world? How did I get here?”

   You really don't want to do this, but _somebody_ has to rip the band-aid off.

   “Your world probably fell to darkness,” you reluctantly explain.

   “Fell?” The kid looks back at you, eyes wide. “What does that mean?”

   “Means it's gone,” you wince. “But!” you cut in before his face starts to crumple. “But it can come back, and there’s probably more survivors.”

   “Riku and Kairi!” the kid yelps. “I gotta find them!”

   “I don’t know who those are, but sure,” you say. “Are you by yourself? Did anybody come with you?”

   “I was following this dog!” the boy explains. “Uh, he was...yellow? But I turned a corner and he was gone!”

   “Oh, you mean Pluto!” you exclaim, coming out from behind the counter to stand in front of the kid. “Yeah, he does that. He’s a good boy, though.” You hold out your hand. “I’m Comet, they/them.”

   “Hi!” the kid takes your hand, shaking it. “I’m Sora, um, he/him!”

   “Nice to meet you, Sora,” you say warmly as you release his hand. “You look a little rough.”

   “Oh,” he rubs his nose. “There were these weird black things outside! I fought them off!” He puffs his chest out. He reminds you of Yuffie whenever she accomplishes something cool.

   “That would be the heartless,” you tell him. “They’re nasty little jerks. C’mon, I’ll take you to my sister Aerith. She can fix you right up.”

   “But don’t these help?” he asks, taking out a potion and shaking it.

   “That’s a potion,” you tell him. “They’re good for quick fixes, but really it’s better if you find an actual healer for any ouches whenever you can.”

   “I’m okay, though!” He insists. “Really!”

   “Kiddo, I grew up with five younger siblings,” you tell him seriously. “As a big sibling it’s my job to make sure all the youngins are okay. You’re a youngin. I gotta make sure you’re okay.”

   “Okay,” Sora sighs dramatically. “If you say so.”

   “I _do_ say so,” you sniff importantly, making Sora giggle. “Now, c’mon. I’ll even feed you when we get there.”

   Sora’s stomach growls and he blushes. You snicker as he follows you out the door. You lock it behind you and gesture down the street.

   “It’s just this way,” you tell him, summoning your sticks. “But keep sharp. The heartless, in case you haven’t noticed, love their ambushes.”

   Sora nods, determined. Stars, this kid is so fucking cute. The two of you set off, keeping close to the light. You make it a couple blocks before you get attacked. You take your stance, twirling your weapons in your hands. Sora crouches, summoning a Giant Fucking Key.

   The keyblade?!

   Focus, Comet.

   You lash out, striking at a Soldier. You hear Sora give a battle cry. You figure he’ll be okay. You narrow in on the battle, striking and dodging and throwing lightning. You don’t know how much time passes, lost to the flow of battle and survival. You kick the last heartless into a wall, where it disperses.

   “You okay, Sora?” you ask, panting.

   No reply. You whip your head around.

   “Sora?!”

_Oh no._

_OH NO._

_“SORA?!”_

 

   “Comet?” Sora calls, looking around. “Comet?”

   He frowns, looking around, weapon resting on his shoulder.

   “Did I lose them?” he hums to himself, rubbing his his chin. “I think they said their sister was…” Sora looks around, before choosing a random direction. “Let’s try this way!”

   He sets off, determined to find his new friend. For an adult, they were pretty cool! He wishes they hadn’t gotten separated. He doesn’t know anything about this place at all.

   And he’s starting to get tired of all the fighting.

   Hey, a shop!

   Sora enters the shop.

   “The hell you want?” says the man behind the counter, grumpily chewing on his toothpick. Sora makes a face, unimpressed.

   “Excuse me,” Sora says, not sounding sorry at all, “but I got lost and I can’t find my friend, Comet.”

   "Comet?” the man interrupts Sora, squinting at him. “Hmph. Why were you with Comet?” The man snorts. “You look a little rough. Were they gonna take you to Aerith?”

   “Uh,” is all Sora can say, feeling a little out of his depth. The shopkeeper waves him off.

   “Sounds like something Comet would do,” the man snorts. “Welp, I’m Cid.”

   “Sora.”

   “Hrmph. Aerith’s at the hotel, just through the big double doors in the second district. Ain’t too far a walk, but the heartless are everywhere.”

   “Oh! Thanks, gramps!” Sora chirps, beaming at Cid, who just scowls at him.

   “If you’re not gonna buy anything get the hell out,” Cid snaps. Sora giggles and scampers out of the shop. He takes in the plaza, looking for the big double doors.

   “They’ll come at you out of nowhere.”

   “Huh?” Sora looks in the direction of the voice. A man with a scar on his face steps out of the shadows, gazing coolly at Sora.

   “And they’ll keep coming at you, as long as you continue to wield that keyblade.” The man frowns, considering Sora. “But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?”

   “Beats me,” Sora says simply. “What do you want?”

  “Nevermind that,” the man huffs, stalking forward. “Now, let’s see that keyblade.”

   “Hey, back off!” Sora snaps, baring his teeth.

   “Fine, have it your way, then,” the man drawls, readying his blade.

   Sora’s world blurs into flashing blades and dodging bullets that apparently this dude can shoot out of his sword?! Sora just has to win against this guy. Then maybe he’ll leave Sora alone.

   But Sora is very tired. Each time he swings his weapon it gets heavier in his hands. The man just isn’t getting tired or weak. Sora can’t keep up.

   The man swings his sword, smacking Sora on the head with the flat of the blade. Sora sways in place, the world swimming around him, and collapses. He hopes Comet is okay.

 

_Yuffie lands next to Squall, looking over the kid he had just beaten into unconsciousness._

_“I went easy on him, but things are worse than we thought. A lot worse,” Leon grunts._

_“Comet is going to_ **_fucking_ ** _destroy you,” Yuffie tells him, ignoring his dramatic monologuing. She laughs when Leon pales._

 

   You are losing your mind. You are losing your absolute, _goddamn_ mind. Great job, Comet! You’ve lost a kid! An entire actual child!

   You sprint through the streets, climb up walls, jump over rooftops, but you can’t find any hint of Sora. Is he okay? Did the heartless get him? Where is he?

   Cid.

   Maybe Cid would know. Your guardian knows a lot of things, surely.

   “Cid!” you bark, bursting into his accessory shop. “Cid, have you seen a kid? He’s about ye high, red onesie, spiky brown hair? Name is Sora?”

   “Hi, kid, nice to see you,” Cid grumps, smirking slightly. You whine at him, flapping your hands at your urgency. “Yeah, kid came here about thirty minutes ago. I gave him directions to the hotel, so hopefully he’ll be there by now.”

   “Cid, he’s _just a kid,_ ” you stress. “You _sent him by himself?!_ ”

   “Leon told me the kid’s got the keyblade,” Cid drawls, unconcerned. “Said he was taking the kid to the hotel. I wouldn’t be so worried about it.”

   You relax, slightly. You trust Squall, for all he is your idiot little brother.

   “Thanks, pops,” you tell Cid, teasingly.

   “Get the fuck outta my shop,” Cid growls back, hunching his shoulders. You laugh and get the fuck out of his shop. Despite your allieved worry, you sprint all the way to the hotel, launching yourself over low walls and stairs to get there faster.

   Sora better be okay or you’re going to commit a murder.

   You slam through the hotel doors, pause a moment to sense where folks are gathered, then throw yourself upstairs. You throw open a room door, spotting Sora sitting up on the bed.

   “Sora!” you gasp, approaching him. “Are you alright?” You examine him critically, eyes narrowed. “What happened? You look worse than before!” You whirl to Squall, who’s doing his stupid edgelord shit and leaning against the dresser with his arms crossed and eyes closed. “What happened,” you say flatly.

   Yuffie giggles. You turn to her and she grins widely.

   “Squall beat wonderboy up~!” she sings. Your head snaps back to Squall, who is deliberately keeping his eyes closed. You lunge, grabbing one earlobe in a punishing pinch. Squall yelps, eyes popping open, and tries to dislodge your grip.

   “‘Scuse us a minute,” you address the room at large as you drag your _idiot younger brother_ out of the room by his ear. “What the _fuck,_ Squall?!”

   “It’s Leon,” he insists automatically. “And I wanted to find out why-”

   “ _SORA_ IS A _LITERAL, ACTUAL CHILD,_ YOU FUCKING TURNIP!” you yell. “SQUALL, YOU BEAT UP A CHILD. A LITERAL CHILD. FOR NO GOOD REASON!”

   “Comet-”

   “DON’T _‘COMET’_ ME, YOU FUCKING MORON! WHAT PART OF ‘DON’T BEAT UP CHILDREN’ IS HARD FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND?!”

   “He’s the-”

   “HE’S A KID WHO _LITERALLY_ JUST GOT HERE AND YOU _BEAT HIM UP_ BECAUSE, APPARENTLY, YOU’VE LOST YOUR COMMON FUCKING SENSE!” You take a deep breath and deliberately calm yourself down. “Just… Fuck, Squall, do you not get how messed up that is? How fucked up?”

   “We were kids-”

   “Stop giving me reasons to interrupt you, fuckwit,” you growl. “Squall, you’re my brother, and I love you a lot, but this tops the list of stupid things you’ve done. It’s not okay to beat up kids to try to prove something to yourself.”

   Squall looks away, jaw clenched. You sigh, feeling tired.

   “Go on patrol, Squall,” you tell him. “See if you can find your common sense out there.” You nudge his arm, getting him to look at you. “Just try not to beat up any kids waving around giant keys, alright?”

   Leon huffs through his nose with a smirk.

   “Alright. Sounds fair.”

   He heads towards the stairs and you reenter the door. Yuffie and Sora are both grinning when you come in. You flush.

   “Shut up,” you say preemptively when Yuffie opens her mouth. “Shut your hecking mouth, sis.”

   “I wasn’t gonna say anything!” Yuffie insists. Sora giggles, kicking his heels on the bed. “You really chewed Squall out on that one!”

  “Yeah, what was that about?” Sora asks, tilting his head.

   “Squall’s just an idiot, sometimes,” you say. “Anyway, Yuffie, do you know where-”

   A Soldier appears in the middle of the room. Your blood runs cold. They shouldn’t be able to appear in here, not unless-

   “Yuffie, go find Aerith!” you tell her. You dash forward and lash a foot out. You hit the heartless square in its tiny chest, sending it through the window. “I’ll track down the leader!”

   “I’ll come with you!” Sora says, brandishing his keyblade.

   “Sure, fine, whatever,” you say, summoning your escrima sticks. You can’t  argue with him right now. “Just try to stick close this time.”

   You leap off the balcony, landing on the pavement below in a roll. Sora grunts when he lands behind you. You kick a heartless out of your way.

   “Don’t get distracted by the little guys,” you tell Sora. “We gotta find their boss!”

   “On it!” Sora cries, and _runs past you._

   “Do you even know where you’re going?!” You holler after him. You run after him, a little surprised at how quickly he outruns you. Is this kid a were? He’s avoiding all the heartless that pop up, which is good for him but it makes things a little more difficult for you, because then you and your decidedly non-were agility have to smack them out of the way.

   You’re almost caught up with him now. You watch incredulously as two figures land on top of Sora. What in the shit?

   “Sora!” you call out, picking up your pace. “Sora, are you-?” You skid to a stop as stone pillars suddenly rise up, blocking your way. Not a problem. You scrabble up the stone pillar, getting to your feet at the top.

   There’s a _GIANT FUCKING HEARTLESS_ in the middle of the fountain plaza!

_And Sora is down there with a dog and a duck!_

   You lurch forward, intent on helping, but your hands meet an invisible barrier. You bang your fists against it, even though you know it won’t help. You punch it, lightning crackling and spreading from your fist to wash over the invisible wall.

   No.

   No no no no no.

   No!

_No!_

    You yell wordlessly, kicking the forcefield, but there’s nothing you can do. You crouch, tense as a bowstring, watching Sora carefully as he and the two strangers fight the giant armor heartless. You press your fists to your mouth, keeping quiet so you don’t distract them. They’re… actually doing pretty well!

    And then it’s _over,_ bright light near blinding you as a giant, crystal heart floats out of the heartless remains and dissolves in a shower of light. Your jaw drops. You feel the forcefield dissolve and you immediately leap off the already descending pillar, heading straight to Sora. He turns to you with a big grin.

   “Comet!” he chirps, running up to you. “You’re okay!”

   You wordlessly grab his shoulders, turning him as you visually check him over. He allows it with good grace, still grinning goofily. Then you pull him into a tight hug. Sora freezes, but then relaxes, and he grips you back, burying his face into your shoulder. After a moment, you release him, looking into his eyes. He looks like he didn’t expect that and is a little overwhelmed about it.

   “Sora, are you okay?” you ask him seriously. He sniffs, blinking rapidly, and nods, giving you a broad grin. You sigh and ruffle his hair. His eyes squint up happily, and now you’re close enough to see tiny fangs in his mouth. Oh, yeah, kid is definitely a were of some sort.

   “ _There_ you are!” a raspy voice squawks. You look up. The dog and the duck walk up to you and Sora. The duck looks grumpy. “We’ve been looking _everywhere_ for you!”

   “You’ve been looking,” Sora begins, sounding _very_ confused, “for me?”

   The two animals nod simultaneously.

   “They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the keyblade,” Squall speaks up from where he came up from behind you. You roll your eyes at his word choices, turning to give him a “really?” look. Yuffie grins, amused as usual.

   “Hey, why don’t ya come with us?” the dog offers. “We can go to other worlds on our vessel!”

   “I wonder if I can find Riku and Kairi,” Sora muses to himself. You bite your lip. You won’t deny Sora the right to go looking for his friends, but some part of you doubts that they’re even alive. You won’t begrudge him the chance, though.

   “Of course!” the duck rasps, expression innocent. The dog bends down to whisper to the duck, and they have a quick, murmured conversation. Your eyes narrow. You don’t think you trust or like the duck, but the dog seems somewhat fine.

   Squall steps up next to you.

   “Sora, you should- _YEOWCH!”_ Squall yelps when you shock him in the side. “Comet, what the fuc- what the fudge!”

   “You swore!” Sora gasps gleefully, before breaking into giggles. Squall blushes to his roots. The duck huffs disapprovingly as he crosses his arms. The dog scratches the back of his head.

   “Let him make his own decisions,” you tell Squall seriously, talking over Sora’s delighted laughing. “And quit swearing in front of kids, jeez.”

   “Shut,” Squall hisses at you. Yuffie cackles. Sora calms down.

   “Yeah, I’ll go with you!” Sora says, still smiling. “Thank you!”

   “Donald Duck,” the duck rasps, holding his hand out.

   “Name’s Goofy!” the dog puts in, also holding his hand out.

   “I’m Sora!” said kid introduces himself, putting his own hand in.

   “All for one, one for all!” Goofy chants, cheerful.

   “Yeah!” Sora cheers. “Let’s go!”

   “Hang on, kiddo,” you interrupt. “You’ve all had a very long day. You guys should rest before heading out. Besides,” you nudge Sora, “I promised you food, didn’t I?”

   Sora’s stomach growls and he blushes, scratching the back of his neck. Donald and Goofy chuckle at him and he pouts at them. You smirk, patting Sora’s head.

   “C’mon, kid,” you say. “Let’s head back to my pub. Turns out the hotel isn’t as safe as I thought it was. I’ve got a spare bed in my apartment.”

   “What about-” Donald interjects, but stops when you glower at him.

   “Sora has had a _very long day_ ,” you growl. “He _clearly_ hasn’t eaten for who knows how long, got beat up by heartless, and probably hasn’t had a moment’s rest since he got here. Whatever you’re worried about can wait while this kid takes care of himself.”

   Donald grumbles, clearly about to fight you, but Goofy places his hand on the duck’s shoulder.

   “Gawrsh, Donald,” Goofy says, “it’ll probably be good to get some sleep before we leave! Wouldn’t want to fall asleep at the wheel.”

   Donald huffs but falls silent, turning away from you. You snort at him, unimpressed. You nudge Sora again.

   “C’mon, kiddo, let’s go eat.” You turn to Squall and Yuffie. “You guys coming?”

   “Nah, we should go check on Aerith,” Yuffie says even as Squall shakes his head.

   “What about you guys?” you ask Donald and Goofy.

   “We should check on our supplies, make sure we’ve got everything we’re gonna need.” Goofy politely refuses.

   “Fair enough,” you shrug, even as you walk off, Sora trotting next right behind you. “Y’all stay safe getting home. Love you!”

   “Love ya, sib!” Yuffie chirps as she trots off. Squall signs “love you, too” before following Yuffie. Donald and Goofy head off to wherever they’ve parked their ship.

 

   Thankfully, the pub is still standing and uninvaded by the time you get there. You lead Sora upstairs to your small apartment. You serve up some stir fry, patiently answering Sora’s eager questions. No, there can’t be any fewer vegetables. You’ve lived here for a long time, almost a decade. You were raised with Yuffie, Squall, and two others by Cid. Yes, the same man who owns the accessory shop. No, you’re not going to explain why Squall goes by Leon, that’s his business.

   Sora scarfs the stir fry down, humming a little as he does. You eat at a much slower pace, and gladly give him seconds when he asks. After the meal, you give him an old t-shirt and shorts, show him the bathroom and the guest room, and leave him to it as you clean up dinner and prep for bed yourself. When you’re done you check up on Sora.

   He’s bundled up in the blankets, fast asleep.

   You quietly shut the door and pad to your own room, gratefully crawling between the covers. You cast out your senses, checking on your own wards. When everything comes back okay, you snuggle down into your pillow.

   “What a day,” you sigh, closing your eyes.

 

   Sora opens his eyes, breathing in unfamiliar scents.

   He’s gotta pee.

   Sora reluctantly slips out of bed, bare toes flexing over the cool wooden flooring. He tiptoes to the bathroom, does his business, and is tiptoeing back to bed when the reality of the situation worms its way through his senses and it hits him.

   This isn’t home.

   Home is gone.

   Riku and Kairi are missing.

   Everybody he knows - his mom, his family, his pack - is _gone._

   Sora chokes, clutching his chest as his heart clenches painfully. He leans against the wall, pressing his hands to his mouth to muffle his sobs as he slides down to sit on the floor. He rocks back and forth, trying to fight back this sudden sense of _loss_ and _grief._

   Home is _gone._

_Gone gone gone gone gone._

   Comet said that it could come back, but they also said they’d been here for a _decade._ Sora can’t imagine how long that is! And _their_ home didn’t come back!

   He wants his mom (who is gone).

   He wants his pack (who are gone).

   He wants Riku and Kairi _(who are GONE)_.

   Sora keens, pressing his palms to his eyes. He starts purring automatically in an attempt to comfort himself, but it just makes him miss his mom even more. He misses her curling around him, purring as she grooms his fur. Misses snuffling into her warm side, listening to her steady heartbeat. Misses her scent - hibiscus and wood polish and ocean salt. He misses Kairi and Riku on full moon nights where they wrestle and play and curl up and he and Kairi groom each other and Riku while Riku combs his fingers through their fur.

   He wants to go home!

 

   What was that?

   You sit up, listening carefully. Something is rumbling right outside your room, in the hallway. You throw the covers back, grabbing your housecoat and slipping it on as you head towards your door. You open it and step out, looking for the source of the noise.

   It’s Sora.

   It’s Sora, who is rocking from side to side, crying and rubbing his face and so obviously _purring_ to comfort himself. He notices your presence and looks up at you. Your heart _breaks._

   “Oh, cub,” you sigh, kneeling next to him. “Oh, cub, c’mere.”

   Sora sobs, lunging forward and wrapping his arms around your neck. You grip him tightly as he keens and sobs, burying his face into your neck. You carefully bring him into your lap, holding him and rocking him as he cries. You remember holding Yuffie like this, once, not long after you’d come to Town and she’d had a nightmare. You hum tunelessly, as deep into your chest as you can manage. Hopefully it’s close enough to a were’s rumble to give some sort of comfort.

   Sora hiccups, still purring in distress, as he eventually calms down. You don’t ask him to explain, or say anything, but you just hold him for a minute, pressing your cheek against his head. Sora’s purring eventually stops, but he still grips you tightly.

   “C’mon, cub,” you grunt as you unsteadily get to your feet, still holding Sora. “Let’s get back to bed.”

   You toe open the guest room door and head to the bed, but when you lean down to deposit him, Sora tightens his grip around your neck with a distressed mewl. You immediately straighten back up, despite your back’s protest. Sora nuzzles his nose into your neck, sniffling. Time to come up with a new plan.

   “Okay, Sora,” you grunt, adjusting your grip on him. “I’m gonna bend down again, but I _promise_ I’m not gonna let you go. I just need you to grab your blanket for me. Sound good? Can you do that for me?”

   Sora nods, smearing tears and snot on your shirt. You don’t mind. You bend down again, and Sora peels an arm off to grab his blanket. You straighten and with one arm help him bundle his comforter to his chest.

   “That wasn’t so bad, huh?” you ask rhetorically as you leave the guest room. Sora says nothing, pressing his face back into your shoulder. You enter your own room and head towards your bed. Sora still won’t let go when you bend down, so you instead sit on the side of the bed and roll until you’re both on the mattress. Your idea had been that you would both have separate blankets, because you’re a bit of a blanket hog, but Sora’s clinging is putting a wrench in these plans.

   "Sora,” you huff, “I _promise_ I won’t leave, dude. Can you let go so I can grab my blanket?”

   Sora shakes his head stubbornly, tightening his grip around your neck. You grunt. Kid’s got a fucking grip.

   “Can you at least let go of my neck before you choke me out?” you ask.

   Sora hesitates, but reluctantly let’s go. He wraps his arms around your torso instead. Well, you’ll take what you can get. Using your feet and your fingertips, you manage to bring your own blanket up to you. You tuck it around yourself and Sora, who’s buried his face into your side. You hear him inhale deeply, likely taking in your scent. You take a deep breath, letting it out in a whoosh as you will your muscles to relax.

   “Night, Sora,” you whisper, gently combing fingers through his hair. Sora purrs, a softer, more content sound. You close your eyes and drift off.

 

   You wake up to an almost _massive_ weight on your chest. You grunt, cracking your eyes open. You’re met with a spotted fur coat and familiar spiky brown hair. Looks like Sora shifted in his sleep. You _think_ he looks like a leopard. Or a jaguar? You always get the two mixed up.

   “Soraaaa,” you sing-song, nudging your shoulder up to hopefully wake him up. “Rise and shine, kiddo.”

   Sora “mmmrphs”, curling up into a tighter ball. The grub clothes are barely hanging on to the cub, stretched over fur and dense muscle. At least they didn’t tear. You kinda stole them from Cid.

   “C’mon, Sora,” you say again, firmly. “We gotta get up. You need to eat before heading off with Donald and Goofy.”

   Sora only huffs, hiding his face in your armpit.

   “I can’t cook bacon if I’m trapped in bed,” you tell him. This is your last resort before you bring out the static electricity.

   Sora peeks up at you with a sleepy blue eye.

   “Bacon?” he asks.

   “Bacon,” you confirm. “Let me up.”

   Sora chuffs and reluctantly rolls off of you. You gasp dramatically and roll off the bed.

   “Freedom!” You cry as you leap to your feet. Sora giggles at you from the bed.

   “Alright, squirt!” you say, turning to Sora. “I’m going to go make breakfast. You should probably revert and get ready for the day. Breakfast will be done soon.”

   “Okay, Comet,” Sora agrees as he yawns and stretches. You hide a wince as you hear stitches pop. “Thank you!”

   “No problem, cub,” you say seriously. “Now, scat.”

   Sora giggles again and gets off the bed, following you out of the room. You get started on breakfast while Sora gets ready. You hope you have enough bacon. As you’re scrambling some eggs, Sora appears at your elbow. He nudges his head against the back of your arm. You lift your elbow and he snuggles in between your torso and arm, wrapping his arms around your waist.

   “Whatcha makin’?” he asks.

   “Bacon, scrambled eggs, and I got some toast toasting,” you say as you poke the eggs. “You want juice or milk with your breakfast?”

   “Do you have orange juice?” Sora asks hopefully.

   “Heck yeah, little man,” you confirm. “In the fridge door. You wanna set the table for me?”

   “Yeah!” Sora chirps, bouncing on his toes. “Where’re the plates?”

   You tell Sora where everything is as he sets the table for two. You serve up the food, pour each of you a glass of juice, and dig in. Sora is a little more reasonable about his table manners this morning, and eats at a more relaxed pace. After breakfast he helps you clean up, insisting on drying and putting up the dishes as you wash them. You let him, figuring this was something he did at home. He waits as you quickly get ready for the day, throwing on some clothes and brushing your teeth.

   “Ready to head out?” you ask as you zip up your vest.

   “Yep!” Sora exclaims, nodding enthusiastically. “Thanks for letting me stay!”

   “No problem, kiddo,” you laugh, ruffling his hair. “My door’s always open to you, okay? If you ever need to crash, cub, you can come right here.”

   “Really?” Sora asks, eyes wide.

   “Really,” you tell him. “Whenever you need it. Okay?”

   “Okay,” Sora says quietly.

   “Now, c’mon,” you say as you open the front door. “You’ve gotta get looking for your friends, right?”

   “Yeah! Riku and Kairi!” Sora reminds you.

   “Why don’t you tell me about them?” You ask as you lock the door behind you. Sora launches into a description of his friends, gesturing animatedly as he talks about how cool Riku is and how Kairi is always so smart. You grin and nod along, occasionally asking questions. Sora’s whole face lights up when talking about his friends, you notice.

   As you, Squall, Aerith, and Yuffie wave goodbye to Sora, Donald, and Goofy, you can’t help but hope that Sora finds his friends.

   He obviously loves them very much.

   “Somebody better find the adoption paperwork!” Yuffie cackles, nudging you with an elbow.

   “What, no, shut up!” You yelp, blushing and rubbing your arm.

   “You _did_ chew me out for beating him up,” Squall drawls. Aerith giggles behind a hand.

   “ _And_ you gave him your spare bedroom,” Yuffie puts in.

   “ _And_ you fed him,” Squall continues.

   “Just shut up. Shut up all of you,” you hiss.

   “You love us!” Yuffie teases, throwing an arm around your shoulders.

   “I’m reconsidering that attachment,” you sniff imperiously. “You’re all terrible.”

   “You wouldn’t have us any other way, Comet,” Aerith reminds you with a soft smile. You sigh dramatically, looping an arm around Yuffie’s shoulders.

   “You’re right,” you agree, tugging Yuffie along. “I wouldn’t. Now Squall,” you continue, staring at your little brother, who starts to sweat, “I believe we need to go over the We Don’t Beat Up Kids rule.”

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the Cometverse! This is first of -counts fingers- whoo shit over 40 fics! It started as a selfship kind of thing (as ya do) and kind of....exploded from there. The character grew their own voice, connections made themselves, and we've been mucking around in this mud pit for a while and we decided to share with the general public. Enjoy the ride - we have a lot more headed this way.


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